


Family

by pylades



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-30 02:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12643884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pylades/pseuds/pylades
Summary: The family you choose ...





	Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writetheniteaway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writetheniteaway/gifts).



_Her mother sighs; Katherine has the sharp Pulitzer nose and her father’s unruly curls. A new corset, perhaps one of the s-curves, it would only improve her figure ... Katherine cringes._

Jack tells her that she’s beautiful. His artist eye knows what beauty is and there are times when she can almost believe him. At the very least, **he** thinks she’s beautiful; he proves it with the gentle stroke of callused fingers and the breathless way he kisses her; it’s like the first time, each time. 

_Joe spends dinner sneering at her; she’s allowing silly emotions to cloud her better judgement. It was time to grow up, Katherine; she had only succeeded to this point because of her name. The Sun held onto her because she was a Pulitzer ..._

Jack listens to her, helps her when she needs to work through a story. He’s read plenty of papers in his day; he knows a good story when he sees one. He knows what sells and what doesn’t. Your stories, Ace, they sell.

_It’s a feat of Herculean strength holding the brittle smile onto her face while they remind her of her weakness, her failures, how she’s disappointed them with her selfishness ..._

Jack tells her she’s strong, even when Katherine returns from those hellish dinners, shoulders slumping with the weight of her parents’ acrimony. He reminds her of what she’s endured even on those nights when she sobs in his arms.

She’s waiting for the day when she has the strength and confidence to break the connection of birth, when she can live as she please and answer only to herself. She tells him so in the darkness, her voice trembling with emotion.

Jack’s arms tighten around her and Katherine lifts a hand to clutch desperately at him.

“You and me, Plumber, we’s family.” He reminds her.

“You and me, Kelly.” 

(Fin)


End file.
